Marine conversion unit



May 6, 1958 c. J. TRQMBLEY 2,333,153

MARINE CONVERSION UNIT Filed Aug. l0, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 6, 1958 c. J. TROMBLEY MARINE coNvERsIoN UNIT 2 Sheets-Silent 2 Filed Aug. 10, 1956 JNVENTOR. Cz /FFoRD Jfous y Arran/Ey:

Unite.,

This invention relates to a conversion unit for adapt-v ing automotive internal combustion engines for marine use.

The principal object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a unit for converting automotive engines for marine installation.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this invention then comprises the features hereinafterfully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. f

The invention is illustrated byjthe drawings in which the same numerals refer to correspondingV parts, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automotive rengine converted by the unit of this invention for marine use, the view being partly in section; 'Y n u Figure 2 is a top plan View of the conversion pan which is a component `of the conversion unit; ,v

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 -3 of Figure 2 and in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is an end view of the pan taken on thelline 4 4 of Figure 3 and in the direction of the arrows.

States Patent Broadly stated, the conversion unit of this invention comprises arplanetary type reverse gear permitting utilization of a drive from the timing gear endof the automotive engine, a conversion 'crankcase pan which extends outwardly beyond the timing gear to form part of ahousing for the reverse gear and a reverse gear cover which closes off all of the water openings which'are'ordinarily provided for the front end accessories of anautomotive engine and the upper portion of the crankcase-reverse gear pan. The unit also includes a ywheel cover. e 'Ihe conversion pan provides the proper alignmentof the ydrive shaft forrmarine use and provides for a commonA `oi1 supply for the engine and the reverse gear. A- i Referring to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1, there is indicated generally at v10 a V-type automotive engine. The yconversion kit of this inventionfis particu* larly adapted to the use of a Ford V-8 engine,` but obvi`-" ously it is not so limited. crankshaftllof engine 10 carries piston'co'nnecting arms.12".`"`f "ming gear 13 keyed on one end'of; the* crankshaft 1-'15 meshes with timing. gear 1,4 on the camshaft. v thelopposite endofthe crankshaft.

The .standard crankcase gine is replaced by a conversion oil pan indicated genoilv pan of thelautomotiveY en'-n erally at 16. The conversion pan includes a relatively deep front wall 17 having a recess 18 for receiving a ring bearing '19 carrying the ywheel end ofcrankshaft 11 and a somewhat narrower relatively shallow back wall 20 having a recess 21 for receiving a ring bearing 22 carrying one end of the drive shaft 23 of the reverse gearing mechanism 24. The opposite sidewalls 2,5 and 26 .2,833,163Y `Patenre-l May 6,1253.

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are generally triangular in shape and taper inwardly at n their rearward ends toward the somewhat narrower back wall. The sloping bottom wall 27 is adapted when rested in the at bottom of a boat to provide the proper angle of inclination (about 15) for the crankshaft 11, reversing gear drive shaft 23 and consequently for propeller drive shaft 28. A generally cylindrical well 30' is pro-r vided for an oil pump at the intersection of side wall 2S and front wall 18. v e

Conversion pan side walls 25 and 26 are provided with flanges 31 and 32, respectively, along the top edges to tit the forward portion of the pan to the lower face of the` engine block and the rearward portion of the pan to the lower face of the reversing gear housing 33. "Ifhe'reare provided seating depressions 34 and 35 in the sidewalls` 2S and 26, respectively, to support and position the reversing gear mechanism 24. To insure the maintenance of a pool of oilinthe reversing gear end of the conversion pan there is provided a transverse barrier wall 36 projecting from the bottoml j wall 27 of the pan. Barrier wall 36 extends between sidewalls 25 and 26 toward the rear wall end of the panso as to divide the pan generally into an engine block portion lying under the engine block and a reversing gear portion lying under the reversing `gear mechanism. WallA 36 isy generally normal to the top edges of the sidewalls" at that point, suicient to. avoid interference ywith the" crankshaft or reversing gear. v I A bale plate 38 is disposed lforward of barrierfwall 36 generally parallel with the top edges ofthe sidewall .f ,j Theforward edge of the bafe plate has agdepend' g'j'f portion 39 extending almostto"l bottom wall 27 foffthefj conversion pan. The rearward end of baille plate'36 is supported by and' secured to two postsf4 0 and 41.y c integrally with the conversion pan adjacent ,barrier lwal 36 and the sidewalls. The forward end of the 'b aiile'plat is supported by twoY transverse baille wall portionsfll j. and 43. The conversion` pan is desirably kcast from", aluminum. l ""5 The reverse gearing system`v24"does not per seffoxjrnfjy any part of this invention. `The Pparticular gearing "sysf 1 tem4 preferably used and here illustratediis the subject, matter of expired United States PatentY No; 1,571,210 issued February 2,1926 to Johnr D. Mooney. The dis closure of that patent is incorporated herein by' referff ence. It is to be understood that therreversing gear of that patenti is illustrat-iveof4 the type of reversingge'arn which may be used as part o f the conversion unit of thisff@v invention but that thel inventionfis no limited to this,"v` particular reversinggear. fr f u y ff Thelreversingf-gearm24 is positioned generally at. fth timing gear end of engine 10.l A'Nspacer sleeve 444s `l fitted over the stub end of crankshaftll and a collar-S5 is keyed to the projecting end of -lthelshaft 'Collar 45k j in"t`urn"carries alhousing* 4Y6`V'e'nclosing a 'pairof facing coaxial'bevelgears 47 and -fl8"and a plurality of bevell planetary gears 149 carried byfhousing'46 'and meshing withboth of `said' gears 47.'ar1'di v48. Bevel gearjlSfisk keyed to driveV shaft`23. Means `are provided to vcouplet-f drive shaft 23 to propellerr'driveshaft 28:; Suitahlet clutch'means are providedtojpllfr the; 'reverse gearingfsys? teminfo-and.outyqgearaffe The reversing gear housing 33 is provided with an access opening. and a cover plate 50. The forward end of camshaft 51 is journalled in a bracket 52 on the interior of reversing gear housing 33 which replaces the normal timing gear cover. A protective cover 53 is also provided over ywheel 15.

In effecting the conversion of an automotive engine to marine use the `standard oil pan is discarded and the engine block is stripped of its front end accessories including "the timing gear housing. A einormal front-rear alignm'eiit" fithe e'rg'iiie'is reversed Vin converting it to marine use. The conversion pan 16 is longer than the standard engine oil pan., y i of engine is positioned over the forwardrdeep end of the conversion pan. A,The reversing gear system 24 is mounted to be driven from the normally forwardV or timing" gear end of the engine and is positionedin the seating depressions 34 and 35 in the shallow rearward endof `the conversionpan. The reversing gear housing 33 is fitted to the normally forward end of the engine blockand over the reversing gear. A protective cover is fitted over the iiywheel 15. j

When so assembled the automotive engine is now adapted for marine use. When Imounted in a marine vesselthe normal horizontal axialalignment of the engine crankshaft is moditiedby the angle of the bottom ofthe conversion pan to4 align the shafts' properly with a marine propeller ishaft 28' to which the reversing gear drive shaft 23 is adapted to be coupled. Y

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention asvhereinbefore set forth may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by way of example onlyand the invention is limitcdonly by the terms of the appended claims.

What I claim is: ,i e y l. A conversion unit for adapting a V-type automotive internalcombustion engine to marine use which comprises an elongated conversion oil pan, a planetary reversing gear system tobe driven from the timing gear end of the crank shaft of said engine to drive a drive shaft, said reversing gear 'system being positioned in one end of said conversion pan and av reversing gear housing enclosing said reversing'gear system and that end of said conversion pan and adapted to be fitted to said'engine to be converted replacing the timing gear housing, the oppositeed of said conversion pan being adapted to be tted to said engine to be converted, replacing the oil pan, said conversion pan comprising a relatively deep portion to be fitted to said engine and a relatively shal- Y lower portion to receive said reversing gear system, a recess in the deeper end wall to receive a ring` bearing journalling the flywheel vend `ot' the crankshaft of said engine and a recess in'theshallower, end wall to receive a ring bearing journalling thedrive shaft of the reversing gear, the bottom wall of said pan connecting said end walls being disposed at an angle with respect to the axis of said shafts to align said converted engine with respect to a propeller shaft to be driven. Y

2. A conversion unit according to claim l further characterized in that said vconversion pan includes a transverse barrier wall extending between the conversion panside walls and substantially normal to the top edges of said side walls, said barrier wall being positioned adjacent the ,The normally rearward or ywheel'end i depending portion extending ,downward toward the pan bottomwall adjacent to said barrier wall portions.

4. A conversion unit according to claim l further characterized in that said reversing gear system comprises a first bevel gear adapted to be driven by said engine to be converted, a second bevel gear coaxial with the first and keyed to drive a drive shaft and a plurality of planetary bevel gears meshing with both of said first mentioned gears. v

5. A conversion unit for adapting V-type automotive internal combustion engines to marine use which comprises an elongated conversion oil pan, a reversing gear system and arhousing for said reversing gear system, said conversion pan being adapted to be tted to said engine to be converted, replacing the oil pan and extending beyond the timing gear end of said engine to support and partially enclose said reversinggear system and comprising a relatively deep portion to be itted tosaid engine and a relatively narrower portion to receive said gearing system,-a recess in the deeper end wall to receive a ring bearing journalling the ywheel end of the crankshaft lof saidengine and a recess in the shallower end wall to receive a ring bearing journalling the drive shaft of the reversing gear, the bottom wall of said pan connesting said end walls'being disposed at an angle with respect to the-axisV of said shafts to align said converted engine `with respect to a propeller shaft to be driven, a

i transverse barrierV wall extending between the pan sidewalls and substantially normal to the top edges of said sidewalls, said barrier wall being positioned adjacent the reversing gear end of the pan to partially enclose said reversing gear, a pair of transverse balile wall portions i extending. between the pan lsidewalls substantially normal reversing gear end of said pan to'partially enclose said n reversing gear, transverse bafle wall portions extending between the pan sidewalls and substantially normal to the top edges of said sidewalls, said bafile wall portions being positioned between saidbarrier wall and the deeper end wall of`said pan and abafle plate extending substantially over the area between said sidewalls, barrier wall and bae wall portions substantiallyV parallel with the top edges of said sidewalls. y

3. A conversion unit according to claim 2 further characterized in that said bale plate isfprovided with a to the top edges of saidsidewalls and positioned between said barrier wall and deeper end wall, a horizontal batlie plate extending substantially over thearea between said sidewalls, barrier wall and baie wall portions substantially parallel with the top edges of said sidewalls and a depending portionextending downward from said baffle plate toward the pan bottom wall adjacent to said barrier wall portions; said reversing gear system being adapted to seat in the sidewalls of said conversion pan and to be driven `from the timing gear end of said engine to be converted and comprising a `first bevel gear adapted to be driven by said engine, a second bevel gear coaxial with the first and keyed to drive a drive shaft and a plurality of planetary bevel gears meshing with both of said first mentioned gears; said gear housing enclosing said reversing gear` system and fitted to the top edges of the sidewalls of `the conversion pan at that end of the pan and adapted to be titted to the normally forward end of said engine to be converted replacing the timing gear housing, and a bracket within said housing to journal the timing gear end of the camshaft of said engine.

6L A conversion unit according to claim 5 further characterized in that said conversion pan, barrier wall and bale wall portions are integrally cast of aluminum. 7. A lconversion unit according to 'claim 5 further characterized in that a' protective cover is provided adapted to beftted to said engine block and partially enclose the ywheel of said engine.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 

